


Side Job: Aftermath

by Shujinkakusama



Series: Side Job [1]
Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Art, Drawbauchery's Comics, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Fix-It of Sorts, Gen, Homeworld (Steven Universe), Implied/Referenced Sexual Harassment, Inspired by Fanart, Original Character(s), Pre-Series, Stalking
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-09
Updated: 2017-08-09
Packaged: 2018-12-13 09:30:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,780
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11756952
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Shujinkakusama/pseuds/Shujinkakusama
Summary: Amethyst 8xA stalked Peridot to her next job after being slapped with a restraining order. Someone's gotta be enforcing it, right? ...Right? // Dark themes, followup to Drawbauchery's comics featuring the lovable Peridot and the despicable 8xA. Ames can't be there every time, but she can be there THIS time. Some dialogue taken from the comics with permission, references to physical and sexual harassment. Fix-it fic because somebody had to help Peri. ;_;





	Side Job: Aftermath

**Author's Note:**

> Ach, I can't post links in the notes? 
> 
> Okay, this is a direct follow-up to these comics by Drawbauchery on Tumblr!
> 
> Warning for sexual harassment, assault, and tiddy. 
> 
>  
> 
> http://drawbauchery.tumblr.com/post/163923899752/whats-your-name-did-someone-ask-for-a
> 
> http://drawbauchery.tumblr.com/post/163924423012/part-22-part-1-exact-same-warnings-as-the-last
> 
> Ames is going to pop up in an upcoming fic, but this is her big debut!

“Hey, is that the new peridot? She really is cute.”

 

“Don’t stare, sis…”

 

Ames could overhear other the other amethysts’ conversation; Amethyst 2xS was already eons older than the Gems here, down to some of the technicians. Made late in Era One, and under an insufferable agate, she hadn’t ever seen the war she was made for; instead, she took private security gigs in the Home Galaxy and participated in gladiatorial Arenas for sport.

 

She feigned interest in her screen, but stared sidelong at the peridot in question, just to make sure. A transfer could be upsetting to orderly Gems like peridots. At least the amethysts stationed here were aware of her situation.

 

“She was transferred here so she could get away from an amethyst giving her trouble…”

 

“Ooh, really?! Oops…”

 

“Hey, she’s looking at us—“

 

“Oh shit—Heyyy, 5xG!! We were just leaving!!”

 

“Uhh… what she said…”

 

“Later!”

 

The other amethysts crowded past her, and Ames was acutely aware that sticking around would make her stand out even more. Her uniform was irregular, and she turned to shuffle away. 5xG seemed to be adjusting to her job change well enough, she thought, but she would have a word with her new supervisor just in case. Ames couldn’t stick around this Kindergarten long, but there hadn’t been any unscheduled drops, and the number of private shuttles that had landed were—

 

Inconsistent?

 

“Hey, Supervisor!” Ames called, taking a few uneasy steps toward the lead peridot, clearly from Era One from her lack of supportive tech. “Uh, I got sent along for extra security, and I need to ask—did someone get landing clearance in the last hour? I could’ve sworn five were scheduled?”

 

She turned, looking down at the white diamond insignia at Ames’ chest, then up to her face. “Identification?”

 

Of course. Peridots couldn’t do anything quickly, could they? Ames sighed, bringing up her documents and passing along her screen. “2xS, Era One, private sector,” she rattled off automatically, and the peridot returned her screen with a look of disdain. “Five landings were scheduled, right? It says six ships entered the atmosphere at the start of the cycle—“

 

“Is there a reason I should _care_?”

 

Ames bristled, pursing her lips. “You’re aware of 5xG’s situation—“

 

Something blipped on Ames’ screen, and her eyes flickered away from the supervisor. The heat signature popped up and then disappeared too soon, too quickly.

 

If it was a weapon, it hadn’t deployed.

 

“Excuse me,” Ames said, turning on her heel.

 

Something wasn’t right.

 

The problem with Kindergartens, Ames thought, was that their layouts were universally terrible, and sound never carried right. She heard voices—indistinct, _angry_ —and rounded a bluff in search of the source.

 

“Stupid tech doesn’t track anything that doesn’t fire…” Ames mumbled, tucking her screen under her arm, and out of the corner of her eye—there, another amethyst, pounding her fists against the Kindergarten wall and shouting.

 

_“Get out of there you little wretch!! You pebble!! This isn’t over!!”_

Target sighted.

 

Amethyst 8xA had no business in this sector, and her Gem placement confirmed Ames’ suspicion of her identity. Not that it mattered; the exit hole she was shouting threats into obviously had someone in it, and Ames didn’t need to bet creds that it would be 5xG. And if, somehow, it wasn’t…

 

Well, Ames had gotten into brawls for less.

 

8xA tried to wedge her shoulder into the hole, reaching in for her prey, and her head was turned; it was almost too convenient. Ames barreled into her with a frightening crunch, and 8xA’s screams quickly turned panicked.

 

But not for long.

 

Gladiatorial fights were about extended entertainment; in recent decades, in light of Era Two’s shortages, most Arena fights included armor and corporeal weapons. Ames was accustomed to drawing fights out.

 

She’d read 5xG’s file, and she was familiar with the report associated with her restraining order against 8xA.

 

Ames didn’t draw this fight out.

 

It was a little disappointing, actually; 8xA didn’t put much fight up with her shoulder dislocated, and Ames picked herself up off of the ground once her victim’s form had dissipated. She bubbled and sent off her Gem without a second glance.

 

“5xG?” Ames asked, peering into the ground-level hole cautiously. “You hurt in there?”

 

She didn’t get an answer, not immediately; cornered and crying, the little technician looked terrified. Ames shone light from the Gem at the back of her hand, just to get a glimpse at her, and the peridot pressed herself farther back against the hole.

 

“Get away!!” 5xG shrieked, cowering behind her limb enhancers, crossed over her face and Gem.

 

And missing a set of fingers.

 

“You’re okay, I took her out,” Ames said soothingly, backing away from the entrance to cast about for green finger pieces. “Hey, 5xG, I’m not gonna come in there after you, okay? But I’m gonna get your fingers back to you.”

 

She didn’t respond. But she wasn’t shrieking, and Ames would take that, for now.

 

The missing bits of tech were easy to find. Ames used her screen to record their location relative to the hole, then rounded them up and returned to her station. “Peridot 5xG?” Ames tried again, earning a grunt. “Here you go. Fingers.” She rolled them into the hole and turned her back. “I’m gonna need confirmation you’re unhurt before I can report anything, so you know. But you don’t have to come out yet.”

 

“I’m not moving.”

 

Well, that was a sentence, at least.

 

Ames hummed thoughtfully, tapping her screen. “You’re gonna live in that hole until you sprout roots? Come on, now, that sounds awful. You’re a Gem, not a plant.”

 

Peridot didn’t respond, and Ames could deal with that too. Confiscated pearls could be quiet for hours; Ames didn’t like it, but she could fill silence when she needed to. “Confidentially,” Ames said, looking through her files almost idly. “Your current supervisor sucks. Since Amethyst 8xA violated the uh… well, looks like both instances of your restraining orders. Wow. You’ll get a reassignment. It says your case is under Blue Zircon? Huh… Well, I’m from White’s quadrant, so I can’t say it’s weird. I’ll send her a message so you can follow up.”

 

Ames kept on for some time, but Peridot didn’t seem interested in talking back, and she could deal with that. She notified her supervisor (useless), and exchanged a preliminary report with Blue Zircon, along with assurances that 5xG seemed uninjured.

 

“Your lawyer’s gonna come get you,” Ames said at length, squinting up at the sky as shadows stretched across the Kindergarten. “I’ll sit right here until then, yeah? You don’t know the other amethysts from here, and Zircon said you might not want anything to do with any of us. I can’t totally blame you. 8xA shook you up pretty bad, huh?”

 

“…Who are you?” Peridot gritted out, and she hoped this amethyst took the shaking in her voice as a threat, not a sign of fear. She wasn’t entirely sure she could pass it off as the former.

 

“Amethyst 2xS; Era One, private sector. Shoulda told you sooner, my mistake,” Ames said almost lazily, peering into the hole over her shoulder. “Ames is fine, though! It’s what everybody calls me in the Arenas.”

 

“ _Arenas_.”

 

There, Ames thought. 5xG was finally engaging. It had sure taken long enough. “Yeah—you know, the gladiatorial ones? I compete. Well, it’s kind of a farce, you can’t really compete when the winner’s decided in most of ‘em… Not your speed? I don’t see a lot of techs in the stands.”

 

“It’s a waste of resources and time,” Peridot sounded dismissive, and Ames tried not to laugh. “And it doesn’t explain why you’re in this Kindergarten.”

 

“Well… you know, it’s a funny thing, Arenas aren’t always open,” Ames shrugged her massive shoulders, folding her hands behind her head. “So I pick up odd jobs. Security. Making sure creepy embarrassments to my class don’t run rampant. That 8xA didn’t hurt you, did she?”

 

“No.”

 

Ames hummed thoughtfully. “She grabbed your fingers with enough force to override the electromagnetism that keeps them close to your limb enhancers,” she said slowly. “You sure she didn’t hurt you a little?”

 

“…No.” Peridot’s voice was small again, and Ames didn’t look back in on her this time. “She tried to tear my top. After she ripped off my fingers. I tried to shoot her.”

 

“Good on you,” Ames said softly. “Glad you got away. You did good, 5xG.”

 

They lapsed into silence for some time afterwards, and Peridot felt a little less trapped in the hole the longer she sat. It was dark by the time she could hear voices outside, and she recognized the frantic way Blue Zircon huffed and puffed even before she could hear her clearly.

 

“She’s fine, she’s fine,” Ames assured the zircon, laughing a little. “Gems, your face is blue, even in the dark. You ran all the way from your landing?”

 

“Your report was lacking crucial details!” Zircon exclaimed, “Did you even _check_ if Peridot’s Gem was damaged, 2xS?!”

 

“Nope,” Ames didn’t sound very repentant, and Peridot could see her hulking outline rise from where she’d been sitting for the past few hours. “She stayed in there the whole time. She’s coherent, said she wasn’t injured.” And then, something Peridot hadn’t expected, somehow; “I believe her. You’re welcome to check her out yourself, Zircon, but I figured it shouldn’t be a big ugly brute like me.”

 

Oh.

 

Zircon’s grumbling response wasn’t entirely polite, but she sounded like she agreed with Ames, just a little. The amethyst passed her screen to Zircon, presumably complete with her report. Peridot inched forward, toward the mouth of the hole, and peered out in time to see her rescuer turn her back on Zircon neatly, and Peridot wondered very briefly if Ames had served in the military.

 

“Peridot!” Zircon sounded frantic, and she caught Peridot by the elbow, helping her rise. “Are you hurt? I can’t believe that 8xA found you, oh—I’m sorry, I don’t know _how_ she found you!”

 

“It’s fine,” Peridot insisted shakily. She didn’t totally sound or feel it. “I—Ames took care of it. Right?”

 

“Ames?” Zircon echoed.

 

“That’s me!” Ames called over her shoulder without looking back. “Keep 5xG out of trouble for me next time!”

 

Peridot stared after her. “Hey!” she shouted, earning an uncertain glance that looked a little silly on such a big Gem’s round face. Peridot felt her cheeks burning. “Which Arena do you waste your time in?!”

 

A slow smile spread across the amethyst’s face. “Crystal Arena!” she shot back, “Make Zircon get you tickets, we’re booked for a decade!”

 

* * *

 

 


End file.
